Grassroots action for a safer, more just world

Call Congress to Stop War in Syria: Points to make

We have about a week to stop a rush to war in Syria. Please Call your representative and senators now at 202-224-3121 and urge them to vote NO on the authorization to use force in Syria. If you don’t know who your representative and senators are, click here.

Here are some points you could make in your call (although the only crucial point is to vote against the Authorization of Use of Force for Syria):

Vote no on an authorization for military action. (This one is critical to start with. It’s the message staff will record carefully.)

Military strikes could backfire for civilians. Even targeted strikes end up killing some of the very civilians we are seeking to protect. Thousands of civilians have been killed by similar “limited” U.S. led interventions in places like Kosovo, Libya, and Somalia.

Military strikes won’t end the Syrian civil war but they could prolong it. The U.S. could join calls for a ceasefire while jumpstarting the stalled “Geneva II” peace conference to bring Russia, the U.S., Syrian factions and the Arab League together for diplomacy. Military attacks now could harden positions and destroy the chances for diplomacy for a long time.

Many experts believe that military strikes could lead to reprisals. The Syrian regime could ramp up attacks on rebels and civilians in rebel held areas, and even, feeling it has nothing to lose, decide to use chemical weapons in these reprisals.

A robust international humanitarian campaign could protect Syria’s millions of refugees. The U.S. could save more lives by focusing efforts on the humanitarian crisis. Thousands of lives could be saved through access to the wounded and by providing clean water and food.

I think the right response would a world-wide boycott of the League of Arab States until they policed their own and took action as a group against Syria. It is their job. The USA is not the world’s police force. Our actions in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan have not proved to have good results for us or them.

If Obummer’s folly should prove to be a real or perceived threat to the Russian naval base in Syria, what would he do in the event that the Russkies would take a page out of the U.S. playbook, declare Saudi Arabia to be guilty of supporting Terrorism (i.e., arming the “rebels”), and attack Saudi Arabia? That might be REALLY BULLISH for oil prices!!!

Forging peaceful world diplomacy – leading by example on Syria (a letter to our elected officials)

I am deeply concerned about the recent developments in U.S. international relations, in particular with Syria, as well as what other countries may consider “questionable reasoning for actions” which suggest possible unwarranted use of U.S. military forces in regions of the world which are clearly outside the jurisdiction of the United States, not within any U.S. territory or its borders. This is giving the appearance that our country is violating the very same principles upon which this country was founded, which focus on the freedom and independence of our nation’s citizens, as well as a directive to not impose our beliefs, government methodology, or agendas on the leadership of other countries or interfere with their own domestic affairs. In a time such as this when we are surrounded by polarized viewpoints regarding the situation in Syria, it is of the utmost importance, now more than ever, to learn from history and forge forward confidently to lead by example and present an image which reflects a genuine value of world peace.

Many U.S. citizens, such as myself, occasionally find ourselves traveling in other countries, whether on business or pleasure, and I myself have noticed over time that there has been an increasing “stigma” associated with being a U.S. citizen, primarily due to our government’s trend toward a dominant yet apparently aggressive foreign policy, dictated with an air of conceit. In other words, the perception by people from other nations and their governments seems to be that U.S. foreign policy is becoming increasingly intimidating and somewhat arrogant. Is this the way which we wish our world neighbors to view us?

Yes, the U.S. must protect and defend its citizens and borders, yet we have seen our country’s leadership attempt to exert control far beyond our nation’s boundaries in such a way that it appears to actually be placing our country’s national security and its citizens at risk in a difficult and somewhat dangerous situation in relationship to other countries. I would like to see our national image return to one of respectable peacekeeping and good will, of which we all could once again stand proud.

I am asking for your support to implement immediate and comprehensive improvements to U.S. foreign policy and its staff to reverse the effects of a seemingly provocative foreign policy, failed diplomacy, and uncooperative international relations, especially in conjunction with the current situation in Syria. International negotiations and cooperation are the key to ensure a peaceful future in light of what we are now reading in the media, which other countries have suggested as possible reason to retaliate with major consequences, and avert what many fear could instigate a World War III. Your efforts to listen to and protect the lives of your constituents, U.S. citizens such as myself sharing these concerns, are greatly appreciated.

One additional reason to oppose a U.S. strike on Syria that I’m not hearing — and didn’t hear before the Bush administration started the Iraq debacle — is that this new Middle Eastern misadventure will be another years-long dIstRAQtion from addressing humanity’s truly long-term ‘existential’ crises: the ongoing destruction of the global biosphere from climate change, the continuing existence of nuclear weapons, and the continuing explosive growth of human population on this diminishing planet.